The present invention relates in general to automotive electrical distribution systems, and, more specifically, to an electric motor driven vehicle with a high voltage battery enclosure supporting a portion of a low voltage distribution system.
An important issue in the manufacture of automotive vehicles relates to the packaging of vehicle wiring in view of the with growing number of electronic modules and features. In particular, the packaging of power distribution cables with large diameters is difficult due to the limited availability of package space and the need to keep long runs of cables separate from other wiring in order to minimize EMI susceptibility.
Electric propulsion vehicles (e.g., battery electric and gas-electric hybrids) is a growing vehicle segment. Electric vehicles typically have a two-part electrical system having 1) a high voltage (HV) portion with an HV battery pack and an HV wiring system between the HV battery pack, an inverter, and a traction motor, and 2) a low voltage (LV) portion with an LV battery and an LV wiring system interconnecting LV accessories and modules. The high voltage of the battery pack is obtained by interconnecting a plurality of battery cells that are housed in a battery enclosure (e.g., battery tray). The HV battery pack may occupy significant packaging space in areas of the vehicle which must also support the LV wiring distribution system.